


star light, star bright

by rosegoldblood



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Drinking, Fluff, House Party, In Vino Veritas, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Percico Angst & Fluff Month 2020, Sleep Deprivation, Stars, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:08:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25909393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosegoldblood/pseuds/rosegoldblood
Summary: "you don't have to come, you know," percy said, earnestly, "i mean, i'd love it if you came, but it's cool if you don't want to. i know you don't really like it around people..."nico didn't know what it was; the honesty in his voice, maybe, or that hopeful glint in his eyes, kindness drawn onto his face. "no," he replied, smiling just slightly up at percy, "no, i want to."
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 87
Collections: Percico Angst and Fluff Month 2020





	star light, star bright

**Author's Note:**

> percico month week three: prompts are wish / "i can't sleep" / soulmate ability. i did the first two. everyone knows i'm not physically capable of writing anything with a bad ending so here's some more fluff.
> 
> also, both nico and percy are of age, so don't worry, there's no underage drinking here (◡‿◡✿)

music blared through the house, so loud the floor seemed to tremble under nico's feet. it made him nauseated, stomach churning as he swayed back and forth on his feet. or maybe it was the alcohol.

either way, the world was spinning around him, and he squinted to make sense of his surroundings. when nico looked down, he found himself holding a red solo cup with some type of liquid in it. with a shrug he brought it to his lips and drank. it burned as it went down his throat, but it felt good in a way, and he tipped it forward more.

"hey, nico!" a voice rang out from behind him. in another situation nico knew somehow that he'd be annoyed, but he couldn't find it in himself. piper came into view, and nico stared at her as his head started to spin. "glad to see you're finally letting loose."

all he managed as a reply was an agreeable hum, but this seemed to be enough for piper. she bounced on his heels, for once taking a good look at him. her eyebrows furrowed, and nico raised his own. "are you drunk?" she asked, giggling slightly, like even the idea was ridiculous.

"no," he slurred, almost angry, but piper just laughed again, clamping her hand over her mouth to stifle it. nico didn't laugh, just stood there unblinkingly, but he felt lighter and happier than he had in months. he looked back down at his nearly empty cup. "what is this shit?" he jabbed his finger into the side of the cup.

piper squinted, peering at the cup like it would give her the answers to the universe. "well, my educated guess is that it's w -"

"what are you guys doing?" a voice said from behind them both, slightly amused and concerned at the same time. nico looked up and blinked at percy, who was holding a plate with a slice of blue cake and fork on it, black hair ruffled. "nicks, are you drunk? seriously, piper? he's underage."

"i am not!" he burst out indignantly. "i am -" he counted on his fingers, squinting at his hands, "- twenty-two years old! i'm old. i can drink." percy laughed and softened, reaching over to wrap his arm around nico's shoulders.

he felt his face burn at percy's proximity. "sure you are," percy was saying, balancing his plate on the tips of his fingers. when drew passed, percy shoved it into her arms, and she glared but obediently set it down on one of the tables. nico looked up and raised his eyebrow. "i wasn't in the mood for cake," he explained, shrugging.

at this piper pressed her fingers against her forehead. "so why'd you get it? that's such a waste." just then, a dog rushed past, barking, to eat the cake, while leo and hazel ran after it, yelling. "oh, uh, never mind. i'll just let them do that." 

they all watched on as leo tripped over a discarded cup and hazel topple onto him. piper burst out into laughter and percy snickered. the sight of it made nico himself smile, watching percy's lips turn up into a grin. 

"perce -" he started to say, but as soon as he pushed himself to stand up without the support of the pillar behind him, nico tipped over and fell forward. he was about to go splat on the ground before an arm wrapped itself around his chest and another hand gripped the back of his shirt.

percy propped nico up so that the latter was half-tucked under percy's arm. "whoa, okay, buddy," he said, laughing nervously as nico rocked on his feet. when he looked up, piper was nowhere to be found, and percy groaned. "why don't you go to bed now?"

"nooo!" nico slurred, pushing percy away as he stumbled, "I'm having fun, i don't wanna." he wasn't sure if fun was the right word, but he felt like something inside was spilling out over the edges, making him soft and happy and bright. "you're the one who invited me."

at this percy laughed and pulled nico in to steady him again. "no i'm not," he corrected, "but alright. it's over for you, nicky." with one fluid motion he took nico's cup and poured all the liquid in it onto the ground, to which nico gaped and pouted, glaring up at percy. "nuh - uh. go back to your cabin and go to bed. can you make it on your own?"

nico wasn't exactly sure whether he could. all he knew was that he didn't _want_ to, so he shook his head and wrapped his arms around percy's chest instead. "with you," he said. percy's mouth opened and closed, face turning red, before he nodded.

"um - sure. i'll bring - i'll walk you back," percy said, blush growing more pronounced when nico hazily pawed at his blue jacket. it was weird, because percy was a son of poseidon, but he was so warm when he should have been cool... nico furrowed his eyebrows to figure out why that didn't make sense, but percy was already peeling him off of his hoodie.

with some awkwardness they linked their arms together in a loop and they walked out of the party amidst some goodbyes and jeering. the night air was colder, and wind blew through nico's hair and on his face. it felt nice, and he gave a content sigh as they walked.

once they reached his cabin, percy opened the door for nico (which was appreciated, he wasn't exactly sure whether he could do it himself). he seemed to hesitate for a moment before following in after him, hurrying to the sink to get a glass of water. 

nico took a sip of it and pulled a face. it tasted too bland and flavourless compared to the previous drinks, but it did make him a bit less dizzy, so he drank more. percy leaned against the counter, watching nico with a soft smile on his face. once he was finished, nico slammed the glass down on his bedside table.

"don't do that, neeks, jesus," percy said, jumping slightly at the sound. nico crawled into bed and nuzzled into the pillows, yawning. "well, if you're settled, try your best to go to sleep, okay?" nico made a humming sound - he wanted to ask percy to stay, but his tongue felt like lead in his mouth. "good night, nico."

"'kay," was all nico said before he curled up and drifted away.

-

the room was dark when nico woke up, considerably less dizzy than before, though his head still felt like it was stuffed in cotton. he groaned and tossed his blankets aside, bare feet touching the cold tiled floor, and he staggered over to the wall.

it seemed that the party was over, as he looked out the window; there was no music to be heard and no more flashing lights. "percy?" nico heard himself say, before flushing and realising he was alone, and _why would he call for percy, anyway_.

there was a thump from the roof of his cabin and nico looked up, alarmed, hand on the hilt of his sword hanging off his belt as the other one hoisted himself up on his ladder. he peeked over the top, sighing in relief when he realised it was just percy, who turned around as soon as nico clambered onto the slanted surface of the roof.

"i can't sleep," nico said hoarsely, "well - couldn't. i don't know." percy seemed to understand and smiled, amused, before patting the space next to him. clumsily, nico sat down. they stared at the sky for a solid moment. "my head is so - what the fuck happened?"

percy leaned back on his hands and closed his eyes. "you drank," he replied, "a lot. then you threw yourself over me and then i brought you home like a gentleman should. you went to sleep and now here you are." nico's face burned as he pouted.

"i threw myself over you?"

"oh, yeah. you were touching my jacket and everything," percy commented, tugging at the fabric of his hoodie.

nico made a frustrated noise and crossed his arms as his cheeks heated up even more. "shut up. i did _not_ do that," he said, though he knew logically he must have, since percy had that look in his eyes that he had when he was being honest. "whatever."

they sat in more silence, watching as the yellow-white stars twinkled against the black sky. it was all quiet, which nico appreciated, since his head was still pounding, but the air was still cooler than usual and he had to admit that the landscape was pretty, looking over the other cabins and the died-out campfire.

he jumped when percy elbowed him, pointing toward a specific point in the sky - a trailing, shimmering ribbon that shone in the dark. "shooting star," percy pointed out excitedly, "when my mom and i went up to montauk we used to wish on those all the time! you try it."

"any wish?" nico said uncertainly, feeling a little stupid when percy nodded. "um... i..." he tried to scramble for one thing he wanted, but he couldn't think of anything - there were too many things, too many scars drawn over his heart in his chest. finally, he gave up. "i don't know. sorry." his voice was thick when he apologised.

"hey, no, don't say sorry," percy comforted, scooting closer to wipe the tears sliding down nico's cheeks, "i know it can be hard to think of, like, one thing. why don't i wish instead?" nico sniffed and nodded, making percy smile. "okay, so... um... i wish, that, we'll all be okay. we've been through a lot but i wish that - we're all going to be alright."

nico rubbed at his eyes. "i like that," he admitted, mostly because he didn't have it in him to be snappish or lie. he dropped his head onto percy's shoulder and they watched the star pass together, leaving sparks behind it in the night sky.

percy's hand curled into nico's, tangling together. his jacket was warm and his skin felt nice and nico fell asleep, then, eventually, on the rooftop of his cabin and under the shooting stars, hand intertwined with percy's.


End file.
